Sandwiches for Summer

Whenever I fly, I like to go armed with lunch, as the food in airports tends to be both appalling and expensive. Lately I’ve hitting the road with sandwiches that combine produce with canned fish, like sardines, herring, trout or smoked salmon — all of them high in omega-3 fatty acids, packed with protein and delicious.

In some of this week’s sandwiches, I used small whole-wheat English muffins that were lightly toasted. The muffins won’t fall apart, even with a juicy filling like Greek salad, and I like the size.

Spinach and Sardine Sandwich

This is inspired by the classic Mediterranean combination of sardines and spinach. I like to use lightly smoked sardines in olive oil for it.

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat, and add the garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the spinach. Turn up the heat, and wilt the spinach in the water left on the leaves after washing. Season with salt and pepper, and remove from the heat. Drain and press out excess water.

2. Lightly toast the English muffin. Spread a little mustard if desired over the bottom half and top with the spinach. Lay the sardine fillets over the spinach, and douse with a little lemon juice. If you have a nice ripe in season tomato, lay over the sardines. Spread the top half of the English muffin with mayonnaise, and top the sandwich. Press down and cut in half, or wrap and refrigerate until ready to eat.

Yield: One serving.

Advance preparation: You can wrap this tightly and keep it in the refrigerator for a day. It’ll be fine for a few hours if you take it on an airplane.